As the Florida state board of education prepared to consider a final draft of a new set of state science standards, Floridians offered their opinions at a last-minute meeting held in Orlando on February 11, 2008. Over eighty speakers addressed the state commissioner of education, Eric Smith, and, via webcast, the board. A video of the entire meeting is available on the department's website.

In a recent statement, the Texas Academy of Sciences expressed its support for teaching evolution -- which it described as "the primary unifying cognitive framework in the
biological sciences" -- and its opposition to including creationism (including "intelligent design") in the state's scientific curricula. The Academy's statement emphasized in particular the economic importance of science education, noting, "Modern industry requires a scientifically educated workforce.

In a commentary published in the February 2008 issue of Geotimes, Kevin Padian argues that the way to improve evolution education is to start with the textbooks. Discussing his testimony in Kitzmiller v.